The implementation of the EU’s Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) reaches a new milestone: the first quarterly price of CBAM certificates will soon be published by the European Commission.

Importers of CBAM goods will have to buy CBAM certificates from February 2027 to cover their 2026 imports. Unlike from 2027 where the Commission will calculate a weekly price, for each quarter in 2026, the price of CBAM certificates will be calculated as the quarterly average of the EU ETS auction clearing prices of allowances. This will provide a fair and transparent carbon price aligned with the EU carbon market.

The price of a quarter will be calculated during the first calendar week of the following quarter, and published on the first working day of the calendar week following the calculation week. The first publication is expected on Tuesday, 7 April. For transparency and operational purposes, publication will take place both on the European Commission’s CBAM webpage and in the CBAM Registry.

The quarterly prices of CBAM certificates applicable in 2026 will be published on the following dates:

First quarter – 7 April 2026

Second quarter – 6 July 2026

Third quarter –  5 October 2026

Fourth quarter – 4 January 2027

Meanwhile, additional steps for the implementation of CBAM are ongoing.

The call for tenders for the Common Central Platform, which will manage the sale and repurchase of CBAM certificates, is currently open. Interested economic operators are warmly invited to participate in the call for tender and to submit their offers by the call will be open until 6 April 2026 at 5:00 PM (CET).

Together, these measures represent an important step towards the operational implementation of the CBAM framework.